Piano player



T. MCKEE PIANO PLAYER 2 Shets-She'e original Filed Dec. 1o, 190s Apr i3 i926. Y 3,580,438

T. MCKEE PIANO'PLAYER Origv Filed Dec. 1G, 1908 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 8 rlj zeA 38 ,a

Fatented pr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS MCKEE, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON.

rrANo PLAYER.

Application le. December 10, 1908, Serial No. 466,788. Renewed June 27, 1921. Serial No. 480,72023.

To all l1i/ioni t may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS McKEn, a citizen of Great Britain, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and in the State of Oregon, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Piano Players, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates more particularly to automatic piano players, in which perforated .sheets are used, and having reference to this particular case, my object, generally stated, is to enable the performer' to have before him the music as ordinarily written with all the marks of expression, and in case of vocal music, the words as well, so that the performer may render the particular piece according to the ordinary marks of expression written by the composer thereon, and in the case of vocal music the words be read and sung to better advantage, and apart from this particular purpose, my object is to render more convenient the support or holding of music for piano playing, and to avoid the necessity of'turning of leaves. the advantages resulting therefrom, my invention secures certain other advantages as will hereinafter be pointed out, and for the accomplishment of the objects and the attainment of the advantages in question, mv

invention consists in the apparatus and the music therefor, having the characteristics substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion oi a piano player embodying my invention.

Fig..2 a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig.

Fig. 3 a view similarto F ig. l, with the doors removed and a portion of the casing broken away. K

Fig. l a detail view on a largerscale than the other figures, of the lower end of the driving roller for the sheet of perforated by one arm of a bell `crank lever` 25, whose paper; and

Fig. 5 a similar view of the idler roller for the perforated paper.

The piano player 10 shown in the drawings in which my invention is embodied, is of ordinary construction, and therefore need not be described, and I consider it necessary only to show a portion of the case and'of the keyboard. In the front of the pianocase and above the keyboard, I 4provide an open- Besides the objects as stated, andA ing 11 through which is passed a box or casing 12, comprising a back wall, end walls, top and bottom walls, and a pair of doors 13, that are pivoted or hinged at their side edges, and meet at the transverse center of the piano, and each door at its lower inner corner is cut away, as best shown in Fig. 1, softhat whenthe two doors are closed,V the openings tlius provided, `together with a strip at the bottom of the box or casing 12, will form an oblong display opening 14 to expose or exhibit music 15 written in the usual manner upon staves, together with the words of a song if the music isv vocal, the staves ruiming horizontally and the same being printed upon a sheet 16, or the like, of considerable length, which is supported byA two vertical rollers 17 and 18, respectively, that are journaled in the box or casing 12, the sheet being wound upon one and unwound from the other to cause the sheet to travel from right to left when the instrument is being played, and from left to right when the performance is ended and it is desired toV restore the sheet to the roller upon which it was originally wound, preparatory. to another rendition. The movement ofthe sheet from left to right is preferably `faster vtal shaft 21 journaled in bearings above the boi; or casing 11, and on the upper end of the shaft of the other roller is a bevel pinion 22 with which meshes a gear wheel 23 on .said shaft 21, the shaft being longitudinally movable so that but one of the rollers at a time will be `in mesh with its bevel gear or pinion, as the case may be, and to disengage both bevel gear andv bevel'v pinion from both rollers, when neither is to be rotated, and to conveniently move the shaft longitudinally for these purposes, it has at one'end a grooved collar 24C which is engaged time or another, are driven l )refer tolsuit sheets of different Widths, according to the number of bars of music, the use of words alone without music, or the use of perforationis alone. The imisic-carrying roller 18 has flanges at its upper and lower ends, and at its lower end has a short shaft which is Iiournaled in a socket in the upper end of a stud or pin 34 that rests at its lovver end upon a coil .spring 35 in a boi; 256,

this mode of journalingthe music roller 1S! at its lower end being .employed to pern'ut the placing 1n and removal of the same. `At

its upper end, the music rollerlS has a short shaft 3T which enters socket in' the pinion shaft 2l. rl"he continuous or long .sheet 16 besides having the musical characters of ordinary form Written oi" printed upon it,

also is or constitutes the customary perfo-y rated sieet, and the perforations are made-A above the Written music l5 so that the perforations are concealed when the' doors 153 are closed, nothing being visible Vin the use of the instrument eilceptthe music VWritten in the ordinaryform on the lower part of the sheet.

in order to enable the music l5 to -bc placed at the slight angle that is `desirable in piano playing, the box or casini,`l` l2 pivotcd'so that it may be swung from the vertical position shown in full lines in Fig'. 2 to the inclined position indicated by dotted lines in said ligure, and a convenient manner of so liiivoting` the boi; or casing is to suspend it from the shaft 2l by arms or brackets 3S at the top of the box or casi-ng li. The usual tracker bar 39 over which the perforations pass is .secured in the box or casing' 1l, and to permit of the usual pneuniatic boardl` notwithstanding swinging ofi the boi: or

vthe shifting or with the tracker beard. The usual time in'- dicator Lil is shown in the drawings. The sheet has printed thereon numerals to indicate speed', the numeral 50', Yfor exainp'le,f0r

this purpose appearing at the left 'of thev that is necessary to enable the accurate in; ,1' l terpretation. andf rendi-tion lof pieceoi connection with said 'tracker Y sing, flexible tuby mg t0 is used for makina` the connection expression marks used on perforated music,

especially .since in the case of my invention the expression marks are associated f with the ordinary form of musical rota-- tion; and in the case of vocal music, the Words are innnediately before the performer, 'so that they can be very easily and conveniently read. Should it be desired to render the music by playing)l in the ordinary manner upon the key board, it is necessary merely to disconnect the suction apparatus ivith the motor, so that the music alone will be caused to pass before the player, and in this connection it will be seen thatI my invention' has the very important advantage of making it unnecessary to turn any leaves because the music is n'roved continuously and automatically before the performer. lt will be' evident that my invention may lic embodiedin an arrangement in which the perforations shall be formed in one sheet and the ordinary musical notation Written or printed on a separate sheet, and my iuvention extends to the writing or printing of music in the ordinary form of notation in a long or continuous sheet, so that itl may be caused to pass` before the performer. While l have mentioned pianos in particular, it is to be understood that l do not limit myself to the use of my invention with any 'particular forni of miusieal instrument.

Havingl thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination of a key-actuated musical instrument, a sheet perforated for the automatic operation of said instrument and having n'iusic thereon in ordinary musical notation including' the customary staff or staves, the perforated portions of the sheet being' to one side of said staff or stares Whereby the characters of the music in ordinary notation are unaffected by the perforations, and a pair of vertical rollers supporting' the sheet above the keyboard of the instrumenr, the front ofA the piano having a display opening only for the music in the ordinary form of notation.

2; rThe combination of a key-actuated musical instrun'ient, a sheet perforated for the automatic operation of said instrumentand having musicV thereon in ordinary musical notationl` a pair vof vertical rollers supporting the sheet above the keyboard of the instrument, and doors having` cut away portions to expose only that portion of the sheet Which has the ordinary form of musical notation.

3. The 'combination of a key-actuated musical instrument, a sheet perforated for the automatic operation of said instrument and havingl music thereonin ordinary musical notation including 'the custon'iary staff or Staates, tliefpeiforatd vpOrt-ions of' the Sheet being to one side ofsaidstaff or staves whereby the characters of the musicv in ordinary notation are unaffected by the perforations, a pair ofV vertical rollers supporting the Y sheet above the keyboard of the instrument,

and means for pivotally mounting said parts whereby the sheet may be moved into and from an inclined position.

4t. 'llhe combination of a key-actuated musical instrument, a sheet perforated for the automatic operation of said instrument and having music thereon in ordinary musical notation including the customary stati' or strives, the perforated portions of the sli-ect being" to one side of said staff or staves whereby the characters of the i'i'iusic in ordinary notation are unaiiected by the perforations, a pair of vertical rollers supporting tl c Sheet above the keyboard of the instrun'ient, means for pivotally mounting,- said parts whereby the sheet may be moved into and from an inclined position, a tracker board movable with the sheet, and flexibletubing` leading` from the tracker board.

In an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheet having note perforations in the body thereof and indicia pertaining to such note perforations, the combination of means for operatively supporting said music sheet to travel endwise in a direction from one side toward the other side of the instrument while said sheet lies in a suiiiciently inclined position `relatively to the front of the instrument to enable the performer to visually relate the note perforations in the body of the music sheet with the indicia pertaining thereto, and automaic playing means to cooperate with the music sheet to play it.

G. ln an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a music sheet having note perforations and indicia arranged in alinement transversely with Vthe note perforations to which they relate, means in clined forwardly and downwardly relatively to the front of the instrument for operal supporting' the music sheet to travel ie in a horizonal direction with the music sheetlyingin a substantially inclined position before the perfo nner, and automatic playing means to cooperate with the music sheet to play it.

7. ln an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheet having note perforations in the body thereof and related indicia upon a margin of the sheet, means inclined substantially in a direction forwardly and downwardly relatively to theV front of the instrument for operatively supporting the music sheet to travel endwise in a direction from one side toward the other side of the instrument while the music sheet lies in a correspondingly inclined position to enable the performer more easily to visually relate the note perforations to the corresponding indicia located ony the for ward lower margin of the music sheet.

8. ln 'an automatic musical instrument, a' tracker-bar substantially inclined downwardlyand forwardly relatively to the front of the'instrument, a music sheet having note perforations in thebody thereof7 and related indicia upon the lower margin of the music sheet which is .nearest to the performer, and means for operatively supporting` said music sheet to travel. longitudinally and horizontally across said inclined tracker-bar while the music vsheet is substantially inclined in a direction transversely of its length with the indicia thereon located at the forward lower marginal" the sheet music. i v

9. ln'an auton'iatic musical instrun'ient, a tracker-bar substantially incliner downwardly and forwardly relatively to the iront of the' instrument so that its lower end will be nearest to the performer` a music sheet having' note lil'ierforations in the body thereof and indicia upon one of its margins, said indicia being in transverse alinement with and. relating to note perforations in the body of the sheet, and spools havingf their axes inclined to conform substantially with the inclination of the tracker-bar and operative to support the music sheet and to cause it to travel longitudinally across saidV inclined traclrei'-bar in a direction from one side toward the other'sideof the instrument while the music sheet is substantially inclined in a direction transversely thereof and with the margin of the music sheet havingtthe indicia thereon located toward the lower edge of the sheetso that said indicia will be nearest to the performer.

lO. ln an automatic musical instrument for playing` a laterally traveling; music sheet, the combination of a tracker-bar inclined longitudinally in a direction forwardly and downwardly relatively to the front of the instrument, means for operatively supporting a music sheet to travel endwise across said inclined tracker-bar and in a direction from one side toward the other side of the instrument while said sheet lies in a correspondingly inclined position, and automatic playing` means to cooperate with the music sheet to play it.

il. n an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheet having perforations, the combination of means for operatively supporting` said music sheet to travel endwise in a dir iction from one side toward the other side of the instrument, including` a driving roll, and means to revolve said roll situated at the top of said sheet.

l2. In an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheet having; perforations, the-combination of means for operatively supporting' said music .sheet to travel endwise in a direction from one side toward the other side of the instrument, i11

loo

cluding` a driving roll, and means to revolve said roll situated at the top of said sheet, and a tracker bar extending crosstvise of the direction of travel of the sheet.

13. n an automatic musical instrument adapted to play a music sheet having periorations, the combination of a tracker boX, rolls mounted in such box in position to sup port the sheet tor travel endvvise in a direction Jfrom one side toward the other side of the instrument, and i'ollaotating' means mounted at the top of said boX.

il. 1n an automatic musical instrument adapted .to play a music sheet having per lorations, the combination of a tracker box, rolls mounted insuch box in position to support the sheet for travel endWise in a direction from one side toward the other side of the instrument, and roll-rotating' means mounted at the top ot said box, said box being movably Supported so that the angler at which it stands may be varied.

15. In an automatic musical instrument, a tracker bar substantially inclined downwardly and forwardly relatively to the front of the instrument, a musical .sheet having; note perforations in the body thereot, and words ot a song' at the lower marginal portion of the music sheet which is nearest to the performer, and means for operatively supporting' said music sheet to travel longitudinally and horizontally across said inclined tracker bar While the music sheet is substantially inclined in a direction transversely oi its length with such Words located at the forward lower marginal portion of the music sheet.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing' I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS MGKEE. 

